1. Field of Invention.
The present invention relates generally to automobile door hinges, and more specifically to such hinges which provide door check means integral with the hinge for holding the door in the open position.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
It is the customary practice in the automotive door hinge art to provide check spring mechanisms which function to exert a force on a portion of the hinge carrying the door to control movement to and away from a fully opened position of the door. A relevant example of the current state of the art is the hinge described in patent application Ser. No. 640,221, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,675, assigned to the Assignee of the present invention. In that hinge, a pair of structural members secured to the body of the vehicle and the door, respectively, are supported on a pintle axis for relative pivotal movement. One of the members carries a roller mechanism, and the other member carries a leaf spring which operates cooperatively with the roller to perform the door checking function. During movement of the door to the check position, deflection of the leaf spring by the roller is effected and design of the leaf spring to accommodate repetitive deflections has become a significant design consideration. While not an insurmountable problem, the response to this design goal in the prior art hinge was to provide a plurality of leaf members for performing the deflecting and checking function. A more optimal design in terms of cost and weight was considered to be desirable.